California Indian Legal Services' Bishop Office: Legal Fellowship
LEGAL FELLOWSHIP – BISHOP OFFICE
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
California Indian Legal Services (CILS) is a statewide, tribally controlled, non-profit corporation
that provides legal services to Indian tribes, Indian organizations and low income individual
Indians on issues involving Federal Indian Law. CILS provides a variety of legal services
including brief counsel and advice and extended representation on core legal issues affecting
Native Americans and Indian tribes. CILS is involved in litigation, policy analysis and advocacy
and also provides transactional services to tribes involving economic development and tribal
infrastructure. The Bishop office of CILS is also home to the Eastern Sierra Legal Assistance
Program and the Inyo-Mono Senior Legal Program. CILS has four offices throughout California.
Additional information about CILS may be found on our website, at www.calindian.org.
POSITION DESCRIPTION & PROJECT BACKGROUND:
With support from California ChangeLawyers, CILS is hiring a fulltime summer fellow, post-bar
(fall) fellow, or recent law school graduate, for a summer 2022 or fall 2022 fellowship. Supervised
by the Legal Director and Bishop Directing Attorney, the fellow will work collaboratively with
other staff to provide exceptional legal services in multiple areas of Federal Indian law.
Our fast-paced office provides legal services on a variety of federal Indian law issues. The fellow
will have the opportunity to assume a varied case load that may include: brief counsel and services
to low income Indian individuals; state and federal court litigation; contract negotiation; advising
tribal clients; developing and implementing constitutions, codes, and policies for tribal clients;
making presentations; and ICWA related dependency cases.
While the fellow will be exposed to a variety of federal Indian laws, the fellow’s focus will be primarily on Native American Indian Allotments.
From 1887 -1934, the federal government dismantled Indian reservations creating 20- to 160-acre
parcels that were allotted to (placed in trust for) individual tribal members. The federal policy was
to vastly reduce the communal land of tribes and assimilate Indians in to mainstream (i.e. white,
Christian) society by making them farmers and ranchers. For much of the past ~130 years these
Indian allotments were probated under state law resulting in multiple (sometimes 100s and even
1000s of) fractionated interest holders, leaving the land unusable since consent of a majority of
interest holders is needed before the land can be developed or an interest holder can live on the
land. The result is that many Indian allotments are unusable in any meaningful way the Indians
who have an interest in them.
The fellow will assist with two main allotment-related projects: (1) work on a specific Indian
allotment trespass case in the Bishop area that is ongoing; and (2) research and prepare a
self-help guide for allottee interest holders to organize themselves and develop the allotment
pursuant to a little-known provision in the American Indian Probate Reform Act.
The fellow may also travel to periodic ChangeLawyers Foundation events including annual Equity
Summit, occasional Foundation Board meetings, and the annual Foundation Gala.
SAMPLE OF SUBSTANTIVE AREAS OF PRACTICE:
Land issues, Indian Child Welfare Act, Taxation issues, Wills and Probate, Jurisdictional issues,
Tribal Justice System development, Tribal governance, Public benefits, Healthcare and
senior/elder law issues.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Completion of at least one year of law school (upper level students, law school graduates / postbar fellowship applicants will be more competative)
* Excellent communication, writing and organizational skills
* Strong work ethic and able to work nights and weekends when many tribal councils
meet
* Ability to travel overnight and a valid driver’s license
* A commitment to providing high quality legal services for Indian people
* Ability to work independently, as part of a team, and to take initiative
QUALIFICATIONS:
Current law students and recent law school graduates who are interested in Federal Indian Law
and serving Indian communities; those with experience in Indian communities or who have
completed Indian law courses are preferred. Applicants must be highly skilled in legal research
and writing.
The following qualifications are desirable but not absolutely required:
Familiarity or experience working with Indian individuals, tribes or Indian communities
Prior legal services experience
COMPENSATION:
$10,000.00 Stipend, paid over 10 weeks; Full-Time.
TO APPLY:
Please submit letter of interest, resume, writing sample, and law school transcripts via e-mail:
fellowships@calindian.org
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION:
Application will remain open until filled. Please check the Employment Section of CILS’ website
(https://www.calindian.org/about-us/#employment) to see if the “Changelawyers Fellowship –
Summer / Fall 2022” is still posted for the Bishop Office. It will remain posted until filled.
About California ChangeLawyers Legal Fellowship Program
California ChangeLawyers was founded in 1989 by the State Bar of California as California Bar
Foundation. In 2015, California Bar Foundation became an independent organization and in 2018,
it changed names to California ChangeLawyers. Through the organization's history, its mission
has never changed: build a better justice system for all Californians.
Launched in 2015, the ChangeLawyers Public Interest Legal Fellowship Program supports diverse
rising 3Ls and recent law graduates who are committed to representing low-income and
underserved populations in California. We fund leading California legal aid agencies who are
committed to building diverse, inclusive staff environments to receive a summer or yearlong legal
fellow.
Through this fellowship program, along with our diversity scholarships and grants, California
ChangeLawyers is fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession and, by
extension, the justice system as a whole. For more information about our fellowship program,
please contact Jasjit Singh at jsingh@calbarfoundation.org.
Deadline:
Eligibility: 2L, 3L, Recent Grads, Attorneys
Location: Bishop, CA